Left wingers meet to reclaim Labour Party
A group of left wing Labour Party members have launched a campaign to promote Socialism within the Labour Party.
The Labour Representation Committee (LRC) is meeting for the first time in London today at the TUC headquarters.
It is the first organised show of disquiet within the party during Tony Blair’s leadership.
Leading members include trade union leaders Mick Rix and Billy Hayes, MPs Alan Simpson and Michael Meacher, and iconic left winger Tony Benn aswell as grass root members.
The group aims to “give a voice organisational base within the Labour Party, to challenge New Labour with the development of a programme of socialist policies.
“The LRC aims to set up socialist groups at every level of the party to confront New Labour. It is a reflection of the growing anger with the Blair / New Labour leadership for its support for the war on Iraq and its domestic policy programme based upon privatisation and job cuts.”
There will be a series of debates on domestic and international policies culminating in the headline debate on “Re-building Labour”.
Calls are expected for higher top rate taxation and for an end to private education.
With a number of high profile figures and ex-ministers attending, the forum could become a focus for dissent within the grassroots of the party who have been angered over the recent war in Iraq and the introduction of tuition fees.
The name of the group itself harks back to Labour’s trade union past. The original Labour Representation Committee was formed in 1900 in response to the introduction of anti-picketing laws. Its leader, Keir Hardie, became the first Labour leader and MP.
